1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an apparatus for supporting brake hoses between rail cars. Specifically, a trolley hanger according to the invention inhibits excessive movement of an end hose connection, thereby reducing kinks and unintentional hose uncoupling.
2. Description of Related Art
Standards set by the American Association of Railroads (“AAR”) specify certain arrangements for attaching end hoses between rail cars, and the end hoses themselves also have a standard length.
One arrangement for supporting brake hose connections is a fixed bracket, illustrated in AAR Standard S-4021. In this arrangement, a bracket is fixedly attached to the yoke between rail cars, so that it moves with the yoke. The bracket supports a train line support union connecting the intermediate hose to the end hose of the rail car.
The perceived problem with the fixed bracket arrangement is that, as the coupling components wear during use, slack develops in the coupling apparatus causing the end hoses of two adjacent cars to become kinked or to uncouple unintentionally.
An alternative to the fixed bracket arrangement is the trolley rod arrangement, in which a trolley rod is affixed directly to the rail car, and a trolley pipe connecting the end hose to the intermediate hose is shackled on the trolley rod, permitting movement in the axial direction of the trolley rod. On the one hand, the trolley rod arrangement accommodates for axial displacement due to wear of the coupling components, and thus reduces kinks. However, the trolley rod arrangement has been shown to be less reliable than the fixed bracket system in that it results in a greater number of unintentional uncouplings of the brake hoses.
It is believed that one problem of the trolley rod arrangement, from the design standpoint, is that the shackle attachment to the trolley rod permits too much lateral and rotational movement of the trolley pipe, which is the element connecting the end hose and the intermediate hose. It would thus be a desirable advance in the art if a reliable system of attaching brake hoses could be developed that used the trolley rod system of supporting the train line union, or trolley pipe, while at the same time reducing the likelihood of unintentional uncoupling, without adding unnecessary complexity or expense to the system.